BackFor Edappadi Palaniswami, the tough part begins now
Edappadi Palaniswami must get the budget passed, tackle an insurrection led by O. Panneerselvam and keep an eye on the opposition DMK which has smelt blood
Premium
Chennai: The trust vote is won. The tough part begins now.
Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu’s third chief minister in a year, must get the budget passed, tackle an insurrection led by former chief minister O. Panneerselvam, contend with the influence wielded by the family of V.K. Sasikala, and keep an eye on the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) which has smelt blood.
After the speaker evicted the entre opposition from the 234-member assembly amid chaos, Palaniswami won the confidence vote with 122 votes on Saturday, while 11 members from the Panneerselvam camp voted against him. But if the government fails to get the budget passed, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government that he leads will fall.
ALSO READ | Edappadi Palaniswami wins trust vote in TN, Stalin detained briefly for protests
The biggest challenge would be to tackle the influence of party general secretary Sasikala—who was jailed on 15 February after being convicted for amassing assets disproportionate to her income—and her family. Just hours before leaving for the Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru, Sasikala appointed her nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran as the deputy general secretary of the party.
“They might have won the trust vote, but it is a very strenuous situation for the present government to keep its flock together. Once the MLAs go back to their constituencies and face the public, changes would emerge leading to a shift in the internal dynamics of the ruling party," said N. Sathiya Moorthy, director of the Chennai chapter of think-tank Observer Research Foundation.
After the chaotic floor test, actor Kamal Haasan tweeted sarcastically, “People of Tamil Nadu, welcome your respective MLAs with the respect they deserve back home."
ALSO READ | FIR filed against M. K. Stalin, DMK MLAs, MPs
Meanwhile, Panneerselvam has vowed to meet people across the state to campaign against the Sasikala family, which could coalesce support around him.
“If Panneerselvam and Deepa Jayakumar (Jayalalithaa’s niece) travel across the state, gather the public support and if Panneerselvam is able to create that kind of ruckus MGR (M.G. Ramachandran) did in the 1970s within the DMK to form AIADMK, then these two can make this government unpopular," said Sathiyamoorthy.
Meanwhile, the DMK is sharpening its knives. The party has planned a hunger strike across the state on Wednesday. It would like to make it an DMK versus AIADMK battle—rather than a faction feud within AIADMK—as it knows it would be a beneficiary.
ALSO READ | Shouldn’t political parties have a succession plan?
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
